


there's a party raging somewhere in the world

by tiptoe39



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Birthday Party, Dean's in denial, Fluff, M/M, The first thing I've written in two years so please be kind
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-26
Updated: 2019-07-26
Packaged: 2020-07-20 11:23:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19991359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tiptoe39/pseuds/tiptoe39
Summary: It's Dean's birthday. Castiel has a present for him.Set mid-S14.





	there's a party raging somewhere in the world

Some days you just gotta party.

Michael’s out of Dean. Whatever he’s up to, he’s up to it somewhere else. That doesn’t mean Sam and Dean can relax – because let’s face it, they never can – but they can, occasionally, forget. And it’s Dean’s birthday. His 40th. (Sam has to remind him, because after spending 100 years in Hell, Dean sort of lost count.) Goddamn, they’ve been doing this for 14 years now? Because he was 26 when he first picked up Sam at Stanford and set all of this in motion.

Anyway, the 40th is a pretty big birthday, so all the hunters from various places have come to the bunker to party. Dean likes it. He remembers when this place was a huge cavern of emptiness and arcana, he and Sam too small to fill it. Having Cas and then Jack move in helped a bit. But when the rest of the hunters started calling this a home base – that’s when it felt like home. So he’s here. Home. Partying with his people. It’s enough to make a guy feel normal.

And then all the normal goes draining away.

It starts with Castiel tugging on Dean’s sleeve. Dean is about to grab a sub from the generous display Mom and Bobby ran out to get from the local Quiznos. It seems like a good day for meatballs.

“A moment?” Castiel asks.

Dean knows that tone—urgent, serious. Maybe something’s happening on Angel Radio that Dean needs to know about. God knows they’re all waiting for Michael’s next move anyway. Would make sense that he’d crash Dean’s birthday party.

But when Dean steps into the mouth of the corridor (not before grabbing his coveted meatball sub from the table), Castiel doesn’t seem worried at all.

“I have a birthday present for you,” he says soberly.

“Really? Nice.” Dean gives him a thumbs up as he shoves meatball sub in his mouth. “What is it?”

Castiel fiddles with his tie and casts his gaze briefly to the floor. He clears his throat. “As a token on your birthday I want to impart something that I’ve been holding back from you, Dean.”

“Holding back?” Secrets aren’t usually good birthday presents.

“Yes.” He clears his throat again, coughs a bit. “That is, I want to tell you something.”

“Yeah, well say it, party’s waiting.” Dean has half a sub in his mouth. “No need to be shy.”

“I suppose you’re right.” Cas stares him right in the face, all the fidgeting gone in an instant. “Dean, I love you.”

Out goes part of a meatball.

Dean chokes, tries to chew on the remaining meat. “Say what now?”

“I thought you would like to know that I’m in love with you.” Castiel stops, squints. “Was I unclear?”

Dean swallows, and it’s the most painful meatball sub he has ever forced down in his life. “What?”

“Are the sounds of the party drowning out my voice?” Castiel looks around. He leans in and, louder, “I LOVE YOU.”

Now some people stop and stare.

“Keep it down!” Dean pleads, but it’s too late. The whisper of the rumor is already spreading, and person by person, everyone is turning their head to look.

Castiel seems utterly unbothered by the whole scene. He stares at Dean expectantly.

“What—what—what do you want me to say to that?” Dean clenches and unclenches his hands several times, like he’s trying to grasp something that keeps slipping away. This is too much. Too much anytime and anywhere, but especially too much here, with Bobby and Charlie and all the rest of them looking on.

Now there’s emotion on Castiel’s face, and it’s disappointment. “I had thought you’d reciprocate.”

“Re-cipro-what?”

“I have seen into your heart, Dean,” Castiel informs him. “I know you feel romantic affection toward me. I thought it would be an appropriate gift to let you know those feelings are answered.”

“Dammit, Cas!” Dean knows he’s getting red in the face. “Get out of my head, dude!”

Now Castiel himself is starting to turn red. “I apologize. There are times when it’s far more convenient to reach inside your mind than to waste time talking about things. And your feelings are… rather obvious.”

“Aren’t they, though?”

That voice came from behind him. Dean swivels. God damn it. God _fucking_ damn it.

Sam is leaning against the corner of the wall, with that goddamn I’m-so-smart smile on his face. Dean seriously considers punching him out before he has a chance to say another word.

He settles for threatening it. “Sam, I swear to God I will punch your face in.”

“Punch me all you want, it won’t make him wrong,” Sam says. He’s got a beer in his hand. Dean wonders how many that makes. “You’ve spent like 10 years in denial, Dean, why not own up to it?”

“Own up to what?” Dean catches himself. “Don’t answer that.”

“Listen, if it helps, I’m not gonna judge you for it,” Sam offers. “You love who you love. And hey, it’s the 21st century. But do us all a favor and just admit it.”

Dean’s brain is roiling with a thousand thoughts and smart retorts. He settles on, “How is that doing you a favor?”

“Because we’ve all had to watch you pining for so long.” Oh, god damn it, there’s Mom right behind him, with the same knowing look in her eyes.

And then there’s Bobby. “Hell, I’m new around here and even I can see it.”

“I hate you all, you know that,” Dean says, trying his best to look murderous.

But he knows by now that he couldn’t scare away a fly with that face. Sam and Mom laugh. Bobby sniggers and elbows him roughly. “Just kiss already, you’re driving everybody crazy.”

Just … _kiss?_

Dean turns to Castiel and for a moment everything else fades away.

_Kiss_ him? Is that something he could even _do_? They’re not wrong, the lot of them, about how he feels about Cas. That’s something he’s come to grips with—the overwhelming desire to protect him, to just be around him, to have him there to share the drama of their daily lives. It’s different from how he feels about Sam. More overpowering, more always-intensely- _there_. But Dean figured he’d just live with it. He never once thought about _doing_ anything about it.

Well, maybe once or twice late at night. But that’s nobody’s business. He suddenly, desperately hopes that’s not when Cas was looking in on his mind.

But looking at Castiel now, the idea of touching him is more than a possibility. It’s an ache that’s suddenly and completely sunk into Dean’s bones. He wants that. He wants to reach out and feel Castiel’s sandpaper jaw against his palm. To breathe in his breaths. The awareness of it makes Dean feel like he’s plummeting down into a hole with no escape.

“Well, go on,” Bobby prods, “or are you scared?”

“I’m not scared of anything!” Dean blusters.

“Looks like you are,” Sam says. Behind him, Mom nods.

Castiel looks expectant. Dean can’t resist that look any longer, so he decides to play it for laughs. “What the fuck,” he says, “I’ve killed angels and drunk beers with God, you think I’m scared of another dude’s mouth?” And roughly, he grabs Castiel by both arms and hauls him in.

He kisses Castiel roughly, a big exaggerated B-movie kiss. When he lets go, he fully intends to whirl and demand flatly, “Are you happy now?”

He fully intends to.

But then he catches Castiel’s gaze. Blue eyes wide and alive as Dean’s ever seen them. Below, the flush on his cheeks.

Oh shit.

He pulls Castiel in again, and this time it’s real, it’s warm, and it feels so good Dean nearly loses his balance. He breathes in, the smell and the heat of lips and tongue and everything, and when Castiel wraps an arm around his back Dean grabs his waist, two fistfuls of trench coat. He’s in a place that he’s never been with any woman, this quiet, perfect pocket universe where there’s only fire and love. His heart breaks with how badly he’s wanted this. How horrible it’ll be when it all goes away again and he’ll deal with the humiliation and the jeers. But now, for now… it’s him and Castiel and they’re all goddamn right, Dean loves him back.

Their lips part only when Dean runs out of breath.

He steels himself and waits for the catcalling to start.

Instead, he gets applause. It’s just Sam at first, but Mom and Bobby join in, and before long it’s the whole room that’s clapping. Dean looks around slowly, sure he’ll meet with laughter, teasing gazes. But there’s no laughter, no smirks (okay, Sam is smirking _a little_ ), just genuine smiles and even, respectful applause. Like they’re… all really happy for him. But that can’t be the case, can it?

He glances at Castiel. For a moment, Dean thinks he’s just giving it all his calm, implacable angel look – the look that says _I know you humans enjoy this sort of thing. I don’t understand it, but please feel free to enjoy._ But there’s just a touch of a smile on the corners of Castiel’s mouth, just a hint of pink in his cheeks. And his eyes …

His eyes meet Dean’s, and a well of happiness bubbles up through Dean’s body, tingling on his skin. A feeling like he’s sparkling, and it’s not one he’s had in a long time. If ever.

He slips his hand into Castiel’s. Leads him back into the room, into the throng of happy hunters. Grabs another beer. Offers it to Cas, takes one himself. They clink beer bottles, still holding hands.

“Cheers,” someone in the crowd shouts.

Dean squeezes Castiel’s hand and echoes, “Cheers, Cas.”

“Cheers,” Castiel replies.

And they drink, because they’re safe. Because they’re understood, and because Dean’s never once felt like he’s flying and coming home at the same time, but there he is.

And because it’s his birthday, and sometimes you just gotta party.

**Author's Note:**

> (Title from Meat Loaf because almost all my Dean/Cas has titles from Meat Loaf)
> 
> This is the first story I've been able to complete since very early 2018, y'all. It's not my best stuff, but it's stuff that I made and completed and can post, so that's what I'm doing. Be kind.
> 
> I could not have completed this without my dear friends [morganoconner](https://archiveofourown.org/users/morganoconner/pseuds/morganoconner) and [Lady Eternal](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyeternal/pseuds/ladyeternal), who seem to have unstuck my writer's heart. Love you gals so much.


End file.
